BBC Wales presenter Nick Palit and wife badly burned after bio-ethanol heater explosion
Veteran BBC Wales Today presenter Nick Palit and his wife were nearly killed in a horrific fire that destroyed their six-year-old home near Cardiff after their bio-ethanol heater exploded.
The 60-year-old broadcaster and his wife Angela, 59, both suffered severe burns after the environmentally friendly heater exploded and set their entire house ablaze. The explosion was so powerful that Angela was thrown across the room and her hair caught fire.
The couple had purchased the heater five years earlier and had not encountered any issues with it until that point, but when Angela turned it on after work on this occasion, it began to smoke. Nick attempted to turn it off to ensure safety. However, flames started to emerge from it, so he opened a window while Angela went to get a damp cloth. It was at this moment that it exploded, catching Angela in the blast.
Despite their injuries, the couple, who have five children between them, managed to escape the property and had to watch as the three-story home was engulfed by flames.
They were taken to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff and required treatment at a specialist burns unit at Morriston hospital in Swansea. Angela sustained burns to her face and the backs of her hands, while Nick had a severe burn on his left elbow.
"I thought I was dead when I was thrown across the room. My hair was on fire, my face was boiling hot, it was just awful," Angela said.
Nick added: "We were really fortunate to both escape alive. Another 30 seconds and we’d have been hit by the fireball. It was really terrifying. I’ve reported on fires and explosions during my career, but being caught up in one was dreadful."
"It could have been much worse, but we are both traumatized, and we’ve lost everything," Nick added. They also faced another setback when their empty property was targeted by thieves, who stole four e-bikes from a garden shed.
The couple are now renting a nearby property while they wait for the insurance company to assess the damage to their gutted property, which is estimated to take six months to rebuild.
Nick took to social media to express his gratitude to family and friends who have supported them since the ordeal. "We’ve been overwhelmed and humbled by the kindness, care, and love of family, friends, and neighbors - thanks to all of you, we will get through this," he wrote.
In addition to his work on Wales Today, Nick worked on Crimewatch and taught comedian Rhod Gilbert how to be a journalist in Rhod Gilbert’s Work Experience. He retired from the newsroom six years ago and has ironically worked as an extra on the BBC’s long-running medical drama Casualty since then.
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